Local-Regional News Feb 21

 Western Wisconsin is bracing for up to 20 inches of snow from this winter storm. There is a Winter Storm Warning for the WRDN Listening Area that runs from this afternoon til Thursday morning. Forecasters are warning of two rounds of snow. One that could drop as much as seven inches of snow today, and another that could drop as much as 19 more inches of snow tomorrow into Thursday. There will also be high winds with gusts of up to 45 miles per hour.

The City of Durand is purchasing a new front-end loader for the public works department.  The new loader will cost $216,000 and the city will receive approximately $87,000 in trade-in value for the old loader for a total cost of $133,000.  According to Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren, the city had expected to pay over $200,000 for a new loader even with the trade. The city had decided to delay the purchase of a new street snowblower to help cover the cost of the new front-end loader.

UW-Eau Claire is launching a new mental health initiative. The university says it is offering more mental health services to meet the demand for mental health services. A lot of it will be online, but the university says students can always choose to see someone in person. The new ULifeline is offered at all UW Campuses and was paid for by the state's coronavirus stimulus money.

An Eau Claire man faces 15 charges in connection with a string of catalytic converter thefts. WEAU TV reports that 33-year-old Brandon Gee is accused of felony bail jumping and multiple misdemeanor thefts in the case. Police allege that Gee has stolen at least 15 converters since the start of the year. He's already facing charges in multiple other cases in multiple counties and is now being held on a 10-thousand dollar cash bond. He'll be in court for formal charges on the theft cases on Tuesday.

Governor Ever's was in Eau Claire yesterday touting his proposed budget and how it would improve public health and safety.  The Governor made the stop yesterday and met with members of the Eau Claire Fire Department and city officials to talk about the budget proposal which would send 20% of the state's sales tax revenue back to communities to fund fire ems and law enforcement.  The proposal would over $5 million to Eau Claire alone.  He said the cities would be allowed to decide how the new funding would be used for public health and safety.

A suspicious death of a child in La Crosse County is being investigated.  According to the La Crosse County Sheriff's Department, on February 11th, first responders were called to a home in the town of Medary for an unresponsive child.  First responders attempted life-saving measures, but 6yr old Alexavier Pedrin died.  The cause of Pedrin's death is being investigated and an autopsy is scheduled.

Former Wisconsin Governor Tony Earl is reportedly not well. Governor Evers mentioned Earl's health during a visit with reporters yesterday in Eau Claire. The current governor says the former governor is 'seriously ill,' though he didn't have any more details. Earl was governor of Wisconsin from 1983 to 1987.

The top Republican in the Wisconsin Assembly says the University of Wisconsin can pay for its own free tuition program. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos yesterday told the UW-Madison student newspaper that he doesn't see lawmakers agreeing to pay for tuition for some needy kids in Wisconsin. The UW announced its Tuition Promise Program last year, it promises free tuition for students from families making under 62 thousand dollars a year. Vos said all families in Wisconsin are struggling with inflation. He also said the university should look at private donations to cover the cost of the program, not taxpayer dollars.

It is time to vote again in Wisconsin. Today is the Primary Election Day for the April election. Voters could see a handful of local races on their ballots and will see the race for Wisconsin Supreme Court.   Voters will narrow the field of four candidates for the high court down to two. The top two vote-getters will then face off again in April.  In Spring Valley, voters will be voting on 2 referenda questions.  The first is asking if the district is allowed to exceed revenue limits by $500,000 per year in 23-24 and 25-26 school years, and the second question is about spending $7.1 million for a school building and facility improvement project which includes a new track and field complex.   The polls are open from 7 a.m. till 8 p.m.

 The Minnesota House is advancing a bill that would crack down on catalytic converter thefts.  The bill passed yesterday and would require detached catalytic converters to carry the vehicle identification number of the car where it originated.  Police would be able to seize detached converters that don't have those markings.  Precious metals in the part that are worth more than gold are fueling the increase in thefts.

A central Wisconsin is sentenced to life in prison for a 1984 murder.  The Wisconsin Department of Justice announces in a release the Friday sentencing of 59-year-old John A. Sarver of Port Edwards, who was found guilty in November of the murder of 73-year-old Eleanore Roberts in the town of Saratoga.  Sarver reportedly entered Roberts’ home, then beat and stabbed Roberts with scissors.  The release says advanced DNA testing later showed Sarver’s DNA on evidence presented at trial.  Sarver won’t be eligible for parole until he has served at least 20 years of his sentence.

It's a first for the Evers Administration this week.  Senators will finally begin hearings on the governor's nominees for various boards and commissions.  It's not exciting, but it is the first time in over four years that the Wisconsin Senate will begin the process to vote on the governor's people.  This week's hearings are all for minor boards or commissions.  There's still no word when the Senate will get to the governor's nominees to head state agencies.

The Minnesota House is sending a free school lunch bill to the state Senate.  The 190-million dollar a year measure would expand free and reduced lunch to all students, regardless of family income.  Governor Walz supports the bill and included the cost in his budget proposal for the next two years.  If the measure passes, it could be in place for summer school and be fully implemented for the 2023-2024 school year.

The DFL-controlled legislature in Minnesota is making an effort to enact a red flag law.  The Extreme Risk Protection Order would allow a judge to take firearms away from someone deemed to be a threat to themselves or others.  The ERPO proposal has been met with strong Republican opposition at the Capitol, as well as from gun rights advocates.  The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota is also expressing concern with the red flag bill.  The bill has cleared two committees in the House, but hasn't been heard in the Senate.

There's a plan to turn Milwaukee's old Air Reserve warehouse into a cargo hub.  A group out of Texas is proposing the plan.  They want to take the 288 thousand-square-foot warehouse that used to be home to the 440th Airlift Wing, and use it as a hub for packages.  The planners say a Milwaukee cargo hub would be much cheaper and less congested than Chicago's O'Hare Airport.  Mitchell Airport managers say the proposal is exciting, but it's a long way from becoming reality.  City and state leaders would have to sign-off before anything can be done.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources wants to know where the state's black bear dens are.  The DNR is asking residents to report when they find black bear dens.  It's part of the Black Bear Litter and Diet Survey, which aims to determine black bear reproduction rates and manage their population.

Local-Regional News Feb 20

 The Chippewa Valley is bracing for blizzard-like conditions this week. The National Weather Service has already issued a Winter Storm Watch for the entire area. It runs from tomorrow evening through Thursday afternoon. Forecasters say the Chippewa Valley could see as much as 12 inches of snow, and winds that could hit 45 miles-per-hour. The Weather Service says there will be two waves of the storm, the first will be tomorrow night into Wednesday. The second will come Wednesday evening into Wednesday night.

Wisconsin gas prices have been holding steady over the past week but prices could slowly start to climb.  The statewide average for regular unleaded is three dollars and 17 cents a gallon, the same as last Friday.  Triple-A says gasoline stocks have been going up but demand remains low, which is keeping prices from going up quickly. 

Eau Claire's city council vice president is optimistic that the state may send cities more money in the new state budget. Vice President Emily Berge said during her State of The City speech on Friday that both Republican lawmakers and Governor Tony Evers are talking about sending more shared revenue to local governments. No one knows just how much will be coming from Madison, but Berge says it will help. The talk of more state money comes as city leaders are looking at creating a 25 dollar wheel tax. They will talk about that tax at tomorrow night's meeting.

Friday, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin visited Hudson and Eau Claire to highlight federal funds delivered for the St. Croix Valley Food Bank to help provide nutritious food to the communities they serve and the City of Eau Claire to remediate PFAS in their drinking water. Senator Baldwin visited the St. Croix Valley Food Bank in Hudson to highlight $4.3 million in federal funds for a new food bank. The funding will be used to construct a new facility that will allow the organization to accept more fresh and healthy food, and expand its reach to receive, store and distribute food to their service region of St. Croix, Pierce, Polk, and Burnett Counties.  She then went to Eau Claire to highlight the $1.6 million dollars the city received to help with PFAS remediation for the city's water system.

Firefighters in Ladysmith are looking for the cause of a weekend fire that killed a woman. The fire happened Friday night, and crews found the woman inside the home. Investigators say it looks like she died in the fire, though they say the case remains open.

It's time to vote again in Wisconsin. Tomorrow is the primary for April's spring election. There is all manner of local races on the ballot, but the big race is for Wisconsin Supreme Court. Voters will narrow a field of four down to just two. There are two liberal and two conservative justices running for the court. The top two vote-getters will meet again in April.

Wisconsin's governor wants to get tougher on drunk drivers in the state. Governor Evers is proposing ignition interlock devices for all OWI cases. Currently, there's no requirement for ignition locks for drunk drivers, and first-time OWI cases in Wisconsin continue to be treated like traffic tickets. The idea of mandatory ignition locks for OWIs has been pitched before at the Capitol. It has faced stiff opposition in the past and has never become law.

The remembrances are pouring-in for former UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank after she died from cancer.  She died Friday.  Blank led the Madison campus for 10 years before leaving last year to become the president at Northwestern University.  She never started that job because of her diagnosis.  President Obama is one of the people who remembered Blank over the weekend, she worked in his treasury department before becoming chancellor.  Blank leaves behind a husband and an adult daughter.  She was 67-years-old.

The Brewers' business president says that American Family Field will need more funding sooner or later to maintain the park. Rick Schlesinger tells WISN's UPFRONT that the stadium district will need to continue to maintain and repair AmFam Field as part of its contract with the Brewers. Governor Tony Evers has proposed sending 290 million dollars from the state's budget surplus to the stadium board to both keep the field maintained and also extend the Brewers' lease on the facility to 2043. The five-county sales tax used to pay for the construction of the field expired in 2020, and there are about 87 million dollars left in that fund. 

A Wisconsin firm is fined for employing children in dangerous jobs.  The U.S. Department of Labor said Packers Sanitation Services, with corporate headquarters in Kieler, had at least 102 children ages 13 to 17 working in meat processing facilities in eight states. The Labor Department said the kids were working dangerous jobs like using caustic chemicals to clean razor-sharp saws, head splitters, and other high-risk equipment. Packers Sanitation Services has paid $1.5 million in penalties, and Under the Fair Labor Act, must pay $15,000 for each minor who was employed in violation of the law.   

Legislation to stiffen reckless driving penalties in Wisconsin is introduced. One bill would double reckless driving citation fines and allow judges to double the jail time for criminal reckless driving offenses, with the maximum sentence increasing to three years in jail.  A second would let municipalities pass laws authorizing police to tow vehicles if a reckless driver who is caught has a previous fine for the offense within the past four years, and the fine hasn’t been paid.  The measures have bipartisan support.  They come a week after Governor Tony Evers allocated tens of millions of dollars in his proposed budget to help communities 're-engineer' roads to decrease reckless driving.

The Department of Natural Resources has awarded more than six-point-five million dollars to benefit nonprofits, lake associations, and local governments across Wisconsin.  The DNR said on Friday the money will go toward a variety of projects and that many local and regional partnerships are working to improve water quality, habitat restoration, runoff and pollution reduction, and aquatic invasive species control.  The DNR's Surface Water Grant program received close to 450 applications for grants.

It's almost time to get those ice shanties off Wisconsin lakes, rivers, and streams.  The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says the first deadline is February 20th when ice shanties that are on Iowa boundary waters must be removed.  A full list of deadlines is available on the Department of Natural Resources' website.  The DNR says portable ice shanties are still allowed but they must be removed when not in use.

A Marathon County man is now a member of the Packers Fan Hall of Fame.  John Breske of Elderon became the 25th inductee at an event at Lambeau Field Thursday morning.  The Green Bay Press Gazette reports that the 92-year-old Breske has rarely missed a game since the Lombardi era.  He also has hosted numerous bus trips to Lambeau Field on home game Sundays. Breske, who was selected from among 10 candidates during January voting on the Packers website, will have his name permanently displayed in a place of honor in the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.

Spring break is on the horizon, and TSA officials have tips for travelers heading through the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.  The agency says spring break season starts today and lasts through late April.  Travelers are encouraged to arrive to the airport early to give plenty of time for traffic, check-in, security, and all that jazz.  They also suggest enrolling in TSA PreCheck to avoid long wait times.  Last month, 92-percent of people with TSA PreCheck got through security in less than five minutes.

Local-Regional News Feb 17

 The nurse accused of cutting off a man's foot without permission has pleaded not guilty.  Mary Brown of Durand was in court in Pierce County in western Wisconsin yesterday to face charges that she amputated a patient's foot without getting the okay from doctors, or the man.  It happened last May at Spring Valley Senior Living in Spring Valley. Brown's lawyers say she cut the man's foot off to make him more comfortable.  He later died.  Brown is looking at 40 years in prison if convicted.

 Western Wisconsin's congressman is making the case that problems at the southern border are leading to fentanyl deaths in Wisconsin.  Congressman Derrick Van Orden ended his trip to the southern border yesterday.  He went with a group of fellow-Republican congresspeople to see the situation along the Texas side of the border for himself.  Van Orden says there is a direct link between the drugs that flow across the border and deaths in Wisconsin.  He says Gundersen Health in La Crosse reported nine overdoses last month alone.  He says those should be blamed on the problems at the southern border.

High School artists in Western Wisconsin are encouraged to submit their work for the 2023 Congressional Art Competition.    Students have until  April 7th to submit work for the competition to 3rd District Congressman Van Orden's office in Eau Claire.  This year's theme is a day in the life of Wisconsin.  The winning student from the 3rd District will have their artwork displayed at the US Capitol Building for a year.   Other winners of the competition will have work displayed at the Congressman's District offices and Washington DC Office.  

Police in Altoona say their new license plate readers could help solve crimes faster.  City leaders this week said they will install six license plate readers across the city, including at Highway 12 and Mayer Road near Kwik Trip, in the River Prairie area, and near Spooner Avenue and Harvest Lane.  Sergeant Jake Henning says the cameras can make tracking down vehicles much easier, and that can lead to breaks in all sorts of cases.  Henning said the cameras are not designed to catch people speeding or running red lights.  Wisconsin doesn't allow for those kinds of cameras.

An Amery woman will spend 18 months in federal prison for stealing over half a million dollars from a trust fund.  43-year-old Sarah Tischer was sentenced on Wednesday for stealing 526-thousand dollars from the trust fund for a special needs person. Tischer was the manager of the fund, which was set up in 2017, but in 2020 one of the banks attached to the fund noticed that large amounts of money were being withdrawn and spent on personal items, and at the casino in Turtle Lake. She was removed as the trustee and charged with wire fraud. Once she's free from prison, Tischer will have to pay back the money, if she can. 

An armed and wanted man in La Crosse is in custody thanks to help from the U.S. Marshals.  La Crosse Police say they found 28-year-old Jerel Jenkins with a number of guns, ammunition, and a bulletproof vest when they arrested him yesterday.  Jenkins was wanted on federal firearms charges.  The Marshals say police in La Crosse, Onalaska, La Crescent, Minnesota, and as far as Eau Claire helped in the investigation to find and arrest Jenkins.

The top Republican in the Wisconsin Assembly says lawmakers are going to see if there's a way they can help the Brewers pay to fix American Family Field.  Assembly Speaker Robin Vos yesterday said Governor Evers has made a stadium funding deal much more difficult by pitting taxpayers against the team.  Vos said he's looking for a deal similar to the one former Governor Scott Walker signed in 2016 that paid for about half of the cost to build Fiserv Forum for the Bucks.  Vos says he thinks there is a way to make it cheaper to keep the team in Milwaukee.

UW Regents say they may have to raise tuition if lawmakers don't give them more money in the new state budget. Regents yesterday said Governor Evers' proposed budget would leave the university about 130 million dollars short of what they asked for. The university asked for 435 million over the next two years, the governor proposed just over 300 million. Regents haven't raised tuition since the legislature rolled back the state-mandated tuition freeze back in 2021. A UW spokesman yesterday said everything is on the table. The governor said UW Regents can raise tuition if they'd like, but he said he doesn't see it happening.

Minnesota overdose awareness and prevention nonprofits are expressing support for a proposal that would make an opioid overdose reversal drug available over the counter.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is considering whether to make Narcan, a brand-name naloxone nasal spray, a nonprescription drug.  The move would allow the public to purchase it from locations such as gas stations, grocery stores, and vending machines.  FDA officials say a major concern would be the packaging and label instructions for administering the drug.

Two more central Wisconsin deer have tested positive for the chronic wasting disease. The DNR reported on Wednesday that two deer from Marathon County tested positive for the degenerative disease. The two does hunted in the towns of Elderon and Ringle, were harvested as part of last year's deer hunts. The detection renews a feeding and baiting ban in Marathon County.

A Colby couple is charged with failing to provide safe living conditions for their kids. Court documents say an anonymous tip was received about an apartment that smelled of rotting garbage, was filled with flies, and had feces smeared on the walls.  When officers arrived, what was found included a living room floor covered with garbage, no safe place to prepare meals due to trash and clutter on the counters, a crockpot with rotting food, children’s beds with no sheets, and brown smudges on the wall which the children’s mother said was food and marker.  The children who live in the apartment are staying with a relative until the apartment is cleaned and inspected by Social Services.

The Minnesota National Guard is seeing a surge in recruitment.  More than a thousand new recruits enlisted last year.  The Minnesota Guard had the fourth-highest recruitment numbers in the nation last year, behind Texas, New York, and Pennsylvania.  The entire Minnesota Guard worked a combined 100-thousand days in 2020, drastically up from the typical load of a thousand combined days per year.  Guard members were also part of an unprecedented security force during the Derek Chauvin trial for the murder of George Floyd.

The Green Bay Packers salute law enforcement with special awards.   The NFL team is accepting nominations for the “Packers Protect & Serve Award,” recognizing Wisconsin law enforcement officers who go above and beyond the call of duty.  A release from the team says nominees would be those displaying heroism or an extraordinary commitment to public safety.  Fifteen awards will be presented in the categories of Individual Officer, K-9, School Resource Officer, and Department. There’s more information available on the homepage of the Packers’ website.

St. Mary's University of Minnesota has received a 25-million-dollar donation.  The money will be used to revitalize the liberal arts school, which has campuses in Minneapolis, Rochester, and Winona.  A former student and his family made the massive donation anonymously.  President Father James Burns said this "major investment" motivates the university to advance its "inspirational Lasallian Catholic educational mission." 

Sturgeon season has one Wisconsin man near the top of the record list on Lake Winnebago.  Jim Gishkowsky this week pulled a 177-pound sturgeon out of the lake.  That's big enough to put him seventh on the list of the largest sturgeon ever caught in the Lake Winnebago system.  Gishkowsky says he and a fishing buddy both had to fight to haul the massive fish out of the water.  The largest sturgeon ever caught in the lakes is a whopper, weighing over 212 pounds and caught back in 2010.

Local-Regional News Feb 16

 About 50 workers at the 3M plant in Menomonie got a pink slip this week. The company announced a wave of layoffs tied to a planned 'workforce reduction.' There are about 700 people who work at the plant in Menomonie. The city's mayor says 3M notified his office about the pending layoffs. It's not just workers in Menomonie who are losing their jobs, 3M is planning to lay off 25 hundred people company-wide.

Western Wisconsin's congressman is at the southern border today.  3rd District Congressman Derrick Van Orden is touring the border in Texas. He said he's there to see for himself how millions of illegal immigrants and thousands of pounds of fentanyl are making their way into this country. Van Orden says there is a direct link between the drugs that are crossing the southern border and the people who are dying in Wisconsin from fentanyl overdoses.

Five puppies that were brought to the Dunn County Humane Society are looking for homes after being found in a box near Elk Mound.  The Dunn County Humane Society told WQOW-TV that the puppies arrived at the shelter after being found near the Muddy Creek Wildlife Area.  The humane society is taking applications for the puppies now and it's expected they could go to their forever homes sometime after February 22nd.

UW-Eau Claire is moving to wipe TikTok off of university-owned phones and tablets this week. Campuses across the system are wrapping up their efforts to block TikTok from all university-owned devices. The university says the deadline for that is tomorrow. The UW System is banning TikTok because of worries that TikTok's Chinese owners can spy on and track American users. Students and faculty members can continue to use TikTok on their own phones and tablets.

The trial is set for the two people accused of killing and beheading an Altoona man last spring. A judge yesterday said Tracey Clark and Brandon Gaston will go on trial in March of next year. They are accused of killing, then chopping 79-year-old Dennis Schattie's head off. His body was found in Illinois last April. Both are facing life sentences if convicted. The judge said he expects the trial to take a month.

Hudson schools were locked down yesterday after a report of a threat to attack a local McDonald's and local school.  Police did not know which school was the target so all schools in the district were locked down.  Police went to the McDonald's and the address of the person who tipped off Homeland Security as well as the suspect who allegedly made the threat.  After an investigation of the suspect, no weapons or ammunition were found and it was believed the tip was an attempt at swatting the suspect.   The suspect was released and police do not believe there was ever any threat to the community.  Swatting is the action or practice of making a prank call to emergency services in an attempt to bring about the dispatch of a large number of armed police officers to a particular address.

The state ag department says a meat recall this week in Rice Lake demonstrated the need to keep tabs on where our food is coming from. DATCP Section Chief James Kaplanek says Prime Cuts Meat Market sold pork from a private client to the public without making sure it was inspected, prompting a recall alert. Prime Cuts was only licensed to do on-order butchering for individual clients. Kaplanek says the meat never made it out of the Rice Lake area.

As expected, Governor Tony Evers wants to spend a lot more money in Wisconsin's new state budget. The governor delivered his budget address to lawmakers last night and proposed a nearly 104 billion-dollar spending plan. That's more than 20 billion larger than the current state budget. The governor wants to spend more on everything from public schools to a new paid-family-leave plan for Wisconsin, and he wants to expand Medicaid in the state. Governor Evers says his new budget will 'invest' in Wisconsin. The governor did not, however, mention his plan to spend 300 million dollars on maintenance at American Family Field.

The Republicans who control the state legislature, and who will actually write the new state budget, say just about everything in Governor Evers' proposed budget is not going to happen.  Republicans last night criticized the governor for wanting to spend so much, and expand or create a wave of new programs.  Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says the governor is proposing a 24 percent increase in spending.  He called that 'unrealistic,' and says the Republican budget will be 'dramatically different.'

It's time to start getting ice fishing shacks off the lake. DNR warden Ben Mott says that shifting weather conditions and the return of spring means some lakes are already seeing uneven and thin ice.   Failure to get your shack off the ice before the March 15th deadline could cost you over 250 dollars, and whatever fees it takes to pull a shack out of the water if it falls in.

The Minnesota Supreme Court will not overturn a law barring felons from voting.  In the ruling yesterday, the court essentially punted the issue back to the Minnesota Legislature.  Under the current law, those released from jail or prison are required to wait until they're off probation and have their fines paid before getting their voting rights back. Justice Natalie Hudson dissented from the decision made by Justice Paul Thissen.  She says the law was unconstitutional because it disenfranchises Black and Native American voters at much higher rates.

Wisconsin's race for Supreme Court now has a six million-dollar price tag. The ad tracker, Medium Buying, yesterday said there has now been six million dollars worth of ads purchased in the race. Most of the ads are coming from outside groups, as opposed to the candidates themselves. Voters will narrow the field down next week. There are four candidates, two liberals, and two conservatives. The top two vote-getters will then move on to the election in April. The record for spending in a Supreme Court race in Wisconsin is 10 million dollars.

Wisconsin will receive just over $25 million to address contaminants in drinking water.  The funding announced Tuesday by Wisconsin U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin is made possible by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities Grant Program under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed last fall.  The funds will promote access to safe and clean water in small, rural, and disadvantaged communities in the state while supporting local economies.  In 2023, Baldwin helped bring in over $8 million for several communities in the Northern part of Wisconsin for remediation of contaminants, including the forever chemicals PFAS, in their drinking water.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice gets just over $4 million to address gun violence prevention. The grant from the U.S. Justice Department announced Tuesday aids in administering “red-flag laws” and crisis-intervention programs connected to gun legislation passed by Congress last summer.  The intent of the laws is to temporarily remove guns from people with potentially violent behavior and keep them from harming themselves or others.  Though Wisconsin does not have red-flag laws, the money the state’s Justice Department will get will fund research around gun violence in Wisconsin, behavioral health measures, court-based programs, and training or outreach programs.  

The state Department of Health Services is promoting peer support as a way to address youth mental health needs.  Peer support is a form of community care where those with lived experience help others navigate an issue through supportive relationships. Peer support helps fill gaps in the mental health workforce with roles such as recovery coaches, community health navigators, and certified peer specialists. DHS has a new fact sheet on supporting child well-being through peer support. 

The University of Wisconsin Health is pushing cholesterol screenings after seeing an uptick in kids with high cholesterol.  U-W Health Kids says preventative screenings can help prevent heart disease and death.  Doctors say screenings are important because kids oftentimes don't show symptoms of high cholesterol.  They say cholesterol screenings are especially important for families with a history of heart disease.

Earlier this month, a rescue dog named Koda woke up his owners in the middle of the night while their Brookfield home was going up in flames.  The family got out of the home safely, while Koda suffered smoke inhalation. Brookfield firefighters used a pet oxygen mask to keep the dog alive.  Koda’s owner, Steve Mehnert, tells Fox 6 Milwaukee the dog’s heroics happened on a special day as the fire was on the one-year anniversary of Mehnert's family rescuing Koda from a shelter.  Investigators said the cause of the fire was hot ashes left in a grill outside the home. 

Local-Regional News Feb 15

 The Durand-Arkansaw School board is holding a special meeting tonight.  Only two items are on the agenda and both involve personnel.  The board will take action on the resignation of the Middle School- Hig School Band Director and the resignation of the Caddie Woodlawn Title I Teacher.  Tonight's meeting begins at 5pm in the board room at Durand High School.

The City of Durand would support the governor's proposed increase in shared revenue.  Durand Mayor Patrick Milliren says the city would support not only an increase in the shared revenue but also an increase in transportation aids for street repairs. The Governor is set to release he proposed biennial budget today.

One person was injured in a two-vehicle accident in Dunn County Monday.  According to the Wisconsin State Patrol, 60yr old Martin Pederson of Eau Claire was traveling on Hwy 64 and made a left turn onto Hwy 25 south in front of a semi driven by 44yr old Brandon Duffy of Jim Falls.   Pederson was trapped in his vehicle and was extricated by firefighters and med flighted to Mayo Hospital in Eau Claire.  The semi-driver was not hurt.  That accident remains under investigation.

Everyone is okay after a house fire in Chippewa Falls yesterday evening. Firefighters say they got a call to a house on Dover Street just before 6 p.m. That's when they found a sparking light fixture and a fire in the attic. Crews quickly put out the flames. The damage was limited to about 10 thousand dollars, but the family had to find a new place to stay last night because of the smoke and water.

Motorists in Buffalo County will have some construction zones to deal with starting Monday.  The Wisconsin Department of Transportation, says Governor Tony Evers has signed a $4.25 million contract with Prime contractor Larson Construction Co. of Chippewa Falls for the replacement of three bridges on Wisconsin Highway 35 that carry traffic over a tributary of the Mississippi River in Buffalo County.  Three structures, two in Fountain City and one southeast of Fountain City, were built in 1951 and have reached the end of their lives and will be replaced.  During construction, Wisconsin Highway 35 will be reduced to one lane over the structures, and traffic will be controlled by temporary traffic signals.  The project is expected to be completed in August.

The school aide in Black River Falls caught on tape saying something the school district deemed racially insensitive has resigned. The district confirmed the aide's resignation yesterday. A student, Naomi Thunder, recorded the aide suggesting that she 'collect a check' and said Thunder didn't care about her future. The aide was placed on leave earlier this month as the school district investigated.

Wisconsin's governor wants over two and a half billion dollars more for public schools in the state. Governor Evers released his education budget preview yesterday. In addition to a lot more money, the governor wants a statewide free school lunch program, a new focus on student mental health, and a look at student literacy before the fourth grade. The governor has proposed many of the ideas in the past, and the Republicans who control the state legislature have shot them down. Republican lawmakers are expected to do the same with almost all of the governor's suggestions this year as well.

Prospective school bus drivers in Wisconsin won't need to learn their carburetors and fuel pumps, at least not anytime soon. The DMV yesterday said it will continue the waiver for the engine parts portion of the bus drivers' test. Wisconsin began waving that part of the exam in January of last year to make it easier for schools to hire drivers. The new waiver will last until November of next year. The DMV says all other parts of the bus driver's test, including the written test and the road test will remain in place.

As a part of his biennial budget to be announced Wednesday, Governor Evers proposes putting a chunk of it toward keeping up the Milwaukee Brewers’ home stadium.   Evers says Tuesday he would ask for a one-time cash payment of $290 million to the Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District, which owns and leases American Family Field to the Brewers, to fund maintenance, repairs, and improvements to the stadium.  The proposal would also require the Brewers to chip in on the improvements, sign a non-relocation agreement, and extend the team’s lease to the ballpark to the year 2043.  The Brewers recently pointed out that the district didn’t have the money to fund needed upgrades specified in their lease. If the ballpark district can’t fulfill the lease obligations, the Brewers could leave Milwaukee.

The Oneida County Sheriff's Department cites eight people for operating a snowmobile while intoxicated over the first weekend of February.   The department tells WAOW-TV in Wausau most of the citations were issued after people crashed their sleds or were stopped by law enforcement.  Officials remind snowmobilers to be respectful while on the roads and trails and don't operate a snowmobile while drunk since alcohol impairs an operator’s ability to control their snowmobile and obey road signs.  The state Department of Natural Resources reports ten people have died in snowmobile-related crashes since the beginning of the year.

Bond is set at two million dollars for a former Manitowoc County man charged in a decades-old murder.   Sixty-seven-year-old Gene Meyer is charged in Outagamie County Court with the 1988 murder and sexual assault of Betty Rolf of Grand Chute, whose body was found under a bridge. In 2001 DNA was identified from Rolf’s autopsy, and a familial DNA search done in 2019 led to Meyer. Meyer was arrested in Washington State in December after a DNA sample from his truck matched that collected during the autopsy.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court will not hear a challenge to the ruling on UW-Health's nurses' union. The justices yesterday refused to accept the case. SEIU wanted the Supreme Court to decide if UW-health must recognize its nurse's union. Wisconsin's Employment Relations Commission ruled back in November that it did not. Nurses are fighting for union representation, but the hospital is exempt from the state's union laws and can recognize the union if it wants, but the hospital is not required to recognize the nurses union.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is leaving for Norway today.  His office says the purpose of the trip is to strengthen Minnesota's military and economic ties with the nation.  Governor Walz is expected to take part in a signing ceremony for an official state sponsorship program in Trondheim, Norway.  They will observe the 50th anniversary of the Norwegian Reciprocal Troop Exchange.  NOREX is the longest-running military exchange partnership between any two countries.

Data shows the most popular Valentine's Day candy in Wisconsin is a heart-shaped box of chocolates.  Candy-store-dot-com says second and third in Wisconsin are M and M's and conversation hearts.  Candy-store-dot-com says it uses 15 years of online bulk candy sales data to determine the most popular Valentine's Day candy in each state.  It says a record 57-percent of consumers are expected to buy Valentine's Day candy this year.

Local-Regional News Feb 14

 The Mondovi City Council is meeting tonight.  Items on the agenda include a discussion on Police department staffing, and the foundational layout for the new library, a discussion and possible actions and recreating the parking regulations in the city, and reports from the mayor and city staff.  Tonight's meeting begins at 5:30 at the Marten Center in Mondovi.

A Spring Valley teen was killed in a three-vehicle accident on Saturday in Polk County.  According to the Polk County Sheriff's Department, a car with five people in it was going northbound on Hwy 65 at a high rate of speed when the driver lost control, crossed the center line, and hit two other vehicles.   18yr old Masen Powell along with two other people were thrown from the car.  Powell was pronounced dead at the scene while the other two were taken to the hospital.    That accident remains under investigation.

It's prison time for the Eau Claire man who stole guns, ammo, and some rocket launchers. A judge in Eau Claire yesterday gave 53-year-old Shaun Galloway five years in prison. Galloway pleaded no contest to charges that he stole 15 guns, thousands of rounds of ammunition, and rocket launchers during a break-in in the town of Drammen last fall. Two other people in the case have already pleaded guilty as well, they're due to be sentenced next month.

Police in Chippewa Falls think they have a serial catalytic converter thief behind bars. Officers yesterday said they've arrested 33-year-old Brandon Gee. He's wanted in connection to 15 different catalytic converter thefts in the area. Gee is also wanted for burglary and other crimes in Eau Claire and is wanted in Dunn County as well. Chippewa Falls detectives say more charges in more cases could be coming.

City Clerks and Election managers in Durand and all other local municipalities are giving their voting machines a once-over. Election managers are testing their election equipment ahead of next week's primary. That means running the machines and getting an audit list together.  Eau Claire city clerk Nicholas Koerner says not only does the test show that the machines are working, but the test should also give people confidence that they can trust the electoral process on Election Day.

Governor Evers wants to include automatic voter registration in the new state budget. The governor delivered another budget preview yesterday, this time focusing on voting. The governor wants to link the DMV and Elections Commission databases to automatically register voters in the state. He also wants to bring voter registration back to high schools, change UW student IDs to become voter ID-eligible, lower the number of days someone needs to live in Wisconsin before they can vote in the state, and make it easier for people to vote absentee. Evers is also proposing more money for local elections offices. None of the governor's voting suggestions are likely to make the final state budget. Governor Evers will deliver that full state budget tomorrow.

Congresswoman Angie Craig is speaking out after being attacked last week.  Craig told KARE11 in an interview that aired last night that she fought off the man who attacked her as she was trying to get out of an elevator in her apartment building.  The Minnesota Democrat says the man had demanded to go to her apartment.  D.C. police say 26-year-old suspect Kendrick Hamilin has a long criminal history in the area.  Hamlin appeared in court yesterday on an assault charge related to the incident.

There's a new plan at the statehouse to define, and ban, strip searches in schools. Three lawmakers from the Green Bay area have a piece of legislation that would make it clear that school officials cannot strip students down to search them. The proposal comes after the superintendent in Suring Schools ordered six high school girls to strip down to their underwear to search for vape cartridges. Prosecutors said they couldn't file charges because Wisconsin law defines strip searches as completely naked. The lawmakers say they want to ban all kinds of strip searches in schools and make sure no other students have to disrobe in front of a teacher or nurse ever again.

One Wisconsin congressman wants President Biden to provide some answers about the objects shot down over the weekend. Congressman Mike Gallagher yesterday said there are times to err on the side of caution, and then there are times to speak to the people. He said the spat of unidentified objects that were shot down over the weekend is a time for the president to speak up. Gallagher is in charge of the new House committee on China, and he said we need to know if these objects are from China or somewhere else, and he said we need to know just how long they've been flying over the United States.

New legislation is aimed at addressing overcrowding at Minnesota hospitals.  A bill unveiled yesterday would require hospitals to set up staffing committees to create sufficient nurse-patient staffing levels.  The bill would also eliminate boarding patients in ERs.  A lack of skilled nursing facilities and at-home caregivers is leading to hospital overcrowding across Minnesota.  Officials say delays in releasing patients are leading to backups in emergency rooms as people wait for beds to open up.  Lawmakers say they are trying to find ways to adequately address the problem of insufficient transitional care.

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A meat market in Rice Lake is recalling some of its pork products.  Prime Cuts Meat Market says it's voluntarily recalling ham and bacon sold in-store between January 25th and February 6th.  The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection says the products weren't properly inspected.

Minnesota DFLers are indicating that they might approve legislation to study the use of emerging nuclear technology to meet clean energy goals.  A new bill would commission research to investigate the potential costs, benefits, and impacts of "advanced nuclear technology reactor power generation."  Republicans attacked DFLers for refusing to lift a ban on new nuclear plants in the electricity regulations signed by Governor Walz on Tuesday.  GOP lawmakers are arguing that the newly-signed measure will lead to higher bills and possible rolling blackouts without a steady power source like nuclear energy.

U.S. Senator Ron Johnson says Social Security needs help. The Wisconsin Republican (on WISN’s Jay Weber Show Friday) said the program is "a legal Ponzi scheme" that will become unsustainable. Johnson said younger people who are now paying for current retirees are 'gonna get hosed.'   Johnson said putting Social Security in the federal budget every year would not mean sunsetting or eliminating the program but would force Congress to decide what spending needs to be prioritized.

Marijuana remains illegal in Wisconsin while lawmakers in neighboring Minnesota consider expanding its use. Medical marijuana is already legal in Minnesota, where former governor Jesse Ventura said it was effective in treating seizures his wife suffered from. Ventura admitted to the then-illegal treatment during a legislative hearing last week in St. Paul, where lawmakers are considering allowing the recreational use of pot. That remains off the table in the Wisconsin legislature, although there is growing Republican support for some limited medical use.

Wisconsin's largest business lobbying group again tops political spending in Madison.  A WisBusiness dot com report shows that Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce spent 1 point 4 million dollars on lobbying in the 2021-22 session of the Legislature. WMC was followed by the Wisconsin Hospital Association at 1 point 3 million and the Realtors Association at 1 point 2 million. All three were also the top lobbyists during the previous session. Overall, groups spent over 67 million dollars on lobbying efforts over the last two years. 

A Canadian airline is expanding into the Twin Cities.  WestJet will launch its first-ever service between the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and Edmonton, Alberta, in June.  The airline is also launching service in Washington D.C. and Detroit, Michigan. 

Local-Regional News Feb 13

 Firefighters from Mondovi, Durand, Alma, Eleva, Nelson, and Strum responded to a structure fire at Five Sar Boat Hull and Auto Body Friday morning.  According to the Buffalo County Sheriff's Department, when firefighters arrived they found the building fully engulfed with heavy black smoke.  No one was inside the building at the time of the fire and no one was hurt in the blaze.  Hwy 37 was closed for nearly 3hrs as crews battled that fire.  The blaze remains under investigation.

One person was injured in a vehicle accident in Alma on Wednesday.   According to the Buffalo County Sheriff's Department, County Highway crews were working on Hwy 37 and had one lane closed, when an 89yr old from Alma failed to stay in the open lane and crashed into the rear end of a portable seal coat machine.  Highway workers were warned by a nearby flagger and were able to get out of the way prior to the accident.  The driver was taken to the hospital.    That accident remains under investigation, and drivers are reminded to slow down and move over for workers in construction zones.

Wisconsin gas prices are dropping back closer to where they were a month ago.  Triple-A says the statewide average is three dollars and 17 cents a gallon, down nine cents from last Friday.    That's also just 17 cents more expensive than this time last month.  Here in Western Wisconsin, Gas is $3.23 a gallon, which is 26 cents a gallon cheaper than just a few weeks ago.

Pierce Pepin Cares, the charitable foundation of Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS), recently awarded first-quarter grants to four local non-profits. The Pierce Pepin Cares board approved $1,500 grants to the Ellsworth Gift Box Program, Basics for Local Kids, the Assistance and Resource Center (ARC), and the Free Clinic of Pierce and St. Croix Counties.  Basics for Local Kids requested a grant to support two of its programs: purchasing winter wear for children in sizes that aren’t donated and the kids in crisis emergency transition program. ARC’s grant will be used for direct client housing support. The Gift Box Program grant will be used to bridge the shortfall between the number of families who apply and the number of sponsors. The Free Clinic of Pierce and St. Croix Counties will use the grant money to purchase equipment needed for physicians to dictate exam notes.  Pierce Pepin Cares is funded by PPCS members who generously round up their monthly energy bills to the nearest dollar through Operation Round Up®, as well as direct donations.

It was a series of crashes that closed Highway 53 near Altoona Friday night. Altoona Police say they first responded to a report of a truck on fire near the River Prairie exit. As they were clearing that, there were a couple of rear-end crashes in the backed-up traffic. As crews were finishing with those crashes, police say a drunk driver caused another crash. There were injuries in the crashes, but no reports of any serious injuries. In all, the highway was closed for about two hours.

The city of Eau Claire is looking to add a wheel tax of its own. The city council is set to talk about creating a new wheel tax tomorrow night. No one is saying just how much the new tax would be. Eau Claire County started its 30-dollar wheel tax back in 2019. The city of Eau Claire says it wants to use the money to pay for more road construction. Most wheel taxes in Wisconsin are between 10 and 30 dollars.

The sheriff in La Crosse County is not saying why a child's death over the weekend is considered suspicious. Deputies found the child dead at a home in the Town of Medary Saturday morning. Detectives say their investigation is ongoing. There is an autopsy scheduled this week.

The jets that shot down the unidentified object over Lake Huron came from Madison. The Pentagon yesterday said F-16s out of Truax Field found and destroyed the object. It was the fourth flying object shot down by American fighter pilots in the past week or so. The mission temporarily closed the airspace over part of Lake Michigan. The Pentagon says the F-16s found the flying object over the UP, and blew it up when it was about 15 miles offshore over Lake Huron.

Governor Evers' tax cut plan focuses on families who get the earned income child tax credit. The governor on Friday released another preview of his budget, this time talking about tax cuts. The governor has said he will not sign the Republican tax cut plan that would move Wisconsin to a three-and-a-quarter percent flat tax, instead, he wants to create or increase some tax credits. Evers' plan includes a new caregiver tax credit and would expand both the Earned Income Child Tax Credit and Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit. For businesses, the governor says he wants to end the personal property tax that many business groups in Wisconsin have wanted dead for years. The governor will deliver his full budget presentation on Wednesday.

There is growing support at the Wisconsin Capitol to send more state money to cities for their public safety needs.  Milwaukee Democrat Lena Taylor and Racine Republican Van Wanggaard were on UPFRONT over the weekend, and both said they could see an agreement on shared revenue this spring.  Shared revenue is the money that the state shares with local governments.  Taylor and Wanggaard said the sticking point is going to be how that money can be spent, and how much must go towards police, fire, and EMS.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is expanding its tuition promise program for low-income students.  Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin outlined the new Bucky's Pell Pathway in her first address to the UW Board of Regents on Thursday.  The program covers full tuition for Wisconsin students whose families earn below a certain income threshold.  The university guarantees it will provide enough money in grants, scholarships, and work-study money to cover all of the qualifying students' financial needs.  Mnookin estimates the program will benefit about 800 students when it launches in the fall.

Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature propose a bill that requires state residents convicted of felony crimes to pay restitution costs before they can vote. Current Wisconsin statutes have a person convicted of a felony denied the right to vote unless it's restored through a pardon or through the completion of a prison sentence, parole, extended supervision or probation.   Republicans in the legislature say the measure will put victims’ rights before the rights of criminals.  Democrats call it another form of disenfranchisement, pointing out its effect on low-income individuals and people of color. There’s been no hearing yet on the bill, and one of its sponsors, Two Rivers Republican Representative Shae Sortwell, says if Governor Tony Evers vetoes the bill, he’ll consider moving it into law through a constitutional amendment.

Dane County deputies say a Bristol woman is out 35 hundred dollars after she sent money to someone posing as a Sun Prairie police officer.   Sheriff's spokesperson Elise Schaffer (shay-fir) says deputies helped prevent another 35 hundred dollars from making it to the scammer.   Schaffer says your local police department or any police department is not going to call you over the phone and demand money right away. If you get one of these calls, simply hang up.

Milwaukee Police Officer Peter Jerving is being remembered in the city he served and across the state of Wisconsin. Jerving’s funeral will be held today and will have a police procession carrying Jerving's casket to Brookfield’s Elmbrook Church, and another procession carrying the casket from the church to the cemetery.  Thousands of people, including police departments from across the state and country, are expected to attend. The 37-year-old officer died after a shootout with a 19-year-old robbery suspect who also died.

A free school meal program is one step closer to becoming a reality in Minnesota.  The state House passed the bill last night despite opposition from Republicans who argue wealthy families don't need free meals.  DFL leaders say the measure will ensure students are set up for success and never go hungry.  It heads to the state Senate next.  Last night, Governor Tim Walz [[ walls ]] tweeted he's ready to sign the bill into law.

 More than 30 south central Wisconsin cheese and dairy manufacturers are competing in this year's U.S. Championship Cheese Contest.  Contest organizers announced this week that products from 31 regional companies and their cooperatives are among more than two-thousand entries across 113 classes of products from dairy processors in 35 states.  Entries will be judged February 21st through the 23rd at Resch Expo in Green Bay.  The champion will be announced on February 23rd.